The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-10-06
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. THURSDAY, OCTOBER g. 1884,

CANT and insulting challenge to fight.
1t was eagerly accepted. Like the
mad torrents of their rugged noun
tains; like the rushing waters of their
impetuous rivers, from mountain
height, from gorge, from glen and
cove, from hilltop and valley, they
pour to the rendezvous, The immor-
tai Sewer was there. Shelby and
Campbell Upton and Garter were
there. Snodgrass, Eliot, Maxwell,
Wilson and Webb were there. A
thousand fearless mountaineers and
yeomen were there. Sweethearts and
wives and mothers gathered there,
like Spartan women to cheer and bless
and kiss fond farewell Never be-
fore did such stupendous events de-
pend on such an assembage. Never,
in all history, did such u destiny hang
on such slender thread, and so safe
ly hang. After many sad adieus that
band of deathless heroes began their
march southwark across the rugged
sleeps of the Alleghanies. On hardy
steeds they press with tireless energy
over the Roam and Yellow and down
through many gorge and deep ravine
over hill and stream and trackless wild
till the morning light Of that memora-
ble October day disclosed to view the
heights OF Kings mountain bristling
with English bayonets. At last the
game is found-the game so eagerly
sought, Ferguson is there-Ferguson
who sent that insolent threat. On,
on, they pass up to the mountains
base and girdle it with battle line as
with a chain of fire. Upward it moves
upward to the very brow-and
pours its withering fire into the forces
of the foe. With deadly aim those
matches rifemen speed their unerring
bullets While the British fire, aimed
too high, passes harmlessly over
heads, our peerless mountain marks
men, with Decard rifles, coolly pick
off the enemy as so many deer in the
hunting grounds. Like the crimson
leaves Of autumn, now falling around
them, relocated British and hateful
Tories drop to earth by scores. Again
and again the invaders charge with
fixed bayonets. But when they
charge to one side of the mountain
brow the Americans on the opposite,
supposing them in full retreat, pursue
them in the rear ahd pour into them
their CALLING fire The battle RACES
for only one short hour, when the
brave and fiery Ferguson falls pierced
! with a bullet and bites the dust, The
| dismayed enemy throw down their
arms and the victory OF Kings noun
tain is won. You know the rest.
CORVALLIS, on his triumphal march,
received the news OF this disaster with
CONSERVATION and at once retraced
his steps in full retreat back into
South Carolina, where he lay in
ideness till the following spring,
when, receiving reinforcements, he
again resumed his march to Virginia,
only to surrender to Washinton and
Lafayette at Yorktown. Thus a
handful OF undisciplined' mountain
men, by one bold and timely stroke
turned the tide OF war which resulted
in final disaster and defeat to the
, British arms, the independence of the
colonies and the birth of the grandest
republic of the ages. Hail, all hail,
immortals of Kings mountain!
when We are dead eternal fame shall die,
And crumblng history in the dust shall lie,
The noblest deeds Of heroes yet to be
Shall fall still born unwept by memory.
There are, doubtless, old men here
present who can recall many interest
ing and amusing features of our back
woods pioneer life in Tennessee. 0ul
people were in those times sadly def
cient in learning, in applied science
in mechanics and the arts, and in tn
means of obtaining all the articles o
supplies and and necessaries inciden
to civilization. The substratum ant
mud-sills OF existence was home man
ufactured fiintlock rifle with a barre
D as long as the moral law. 1t bore al
: the marks of the forge fire, the ham
mer and the anvil but it was a
= straight as sunbeam, Its riff
= grooves were nearly the sixteenth q
u an inch deep, and there were six Q
eight of them, but they had a tSi;
/ that would send a ball whirling lik
a spinning top and boring like Il pres
l. drill. Its front sight was a bead c
Is polished silver, and its hind sight wa
s bifercated plate of iron with a note
u that could be filled with a hair. i
l. firelock, with tongue of flint stood u
l. behind the 'frozzen" and pan like
II hooded cobra, ever ready to strike tn
q fatal blow. Its double trigger, adjus
s. ed to the incest equilibrium, was r,
y, sponsive to the softest touch eff I'll
H. finger. Woe betidc the squirrel
S the loftiest poplar or the deer or vii